Teachers are students during 3-day agriculture program

Some students returning to school in the fall might find that the reading list includes vegetable seed packets.

About 25 teachers spent three days around Modesto this week learning how to get lessons about farming and nutrition into their classes.

They toured three businesses. They learned about soil, photosynthesis and DNA. And they heard how students can learn a little math and science by tending a campus garden.

"Make a hypothesis: How long do you think it takes a carrot to sprout?" said Anne Schellman, who works on school gardens and other projects at the University of California Cooperative Extension.

The Teacher Agricultural Science Technology Education Seminars, or TASTES, program was put on for a fourth-straight year by the planners of the Ag Science Center, an interpretive museum envisioned for Modesto Junior College.

The program mostly drew teachers from the Central Valley; two were from Sonoma County. They ranged from second grade to high school.

"It's a lot more applied than teaching out of a textbook," said Joe DiGrazia, an agriculture teacher at Turlock High School. "It's good to keep these kids informed about where their food comes from and the importance of ag to our area."

Monday, the teachers extracted DNA from strawberries and toured Duarte Nursery, which produces fruit and nut trees near Hughson.

Tuesday was all about soil, seeds and insects, including the honeybees that pollinate many crops.

Wednesday, the teachers visited Ratto Bros., which grows and packs fresh vegetables west of Modesto. They learned how the company monitors pests rather than simplyspraying, how it keeps the produce cold throughout processing and how it assures that food is safe to eat.

"I think it's great that teachers are wanting to come out here," said tour guide Justin Brooks, who oversees the 900 nearby acres of Ratto farmland.

The group also toured the plant near Modesto Airport where Frito-Lay Inc. makes potato and corn chips and other snacks.

And the teachers gathered in a science classroom at Enochs High School in Mo-desto to learn clever ways to teach about farming and nutrition.

One involves placing bologna, cheese, mayonnaise and other fatty foods on brown paper bags and seeing how much grease seeps out. Another uses test tubes filled with fat to show what kids are getting when they eat cheeseburgers, hot dogs and other favorites.

Schellman said schools can create gardens in barrels, yogurt cups or other containers if they lack open ground. She added that students who grow vegetables tend to develop a taste for them.

Carla Peterson, who teaches several grades at Pacific Christian Academy in Sebastopol, took part in the program for the second year in a row. She said she liked the lab activities and having access to the teaching kits the Ag Science Center rents to teachers for free.

"That's what kids need today — more hands-on learning," she said.

The program was put on with help from Kathe Poteet, retired science coordinator for Modesto City Schools.

"They're looking for lessons and ideas they can take back to the classroom to implement the science standards, but also making a connection to agriculture," she said.

Bee staff writer John Holland can be reached at jholland@modbee.com or (209) 578-2385.